Rowans Hospice Lake of Lights service returns to Canoe Lake

Rowans Hospice has organised its Lake of Lights service at Canoe Lake on Sunday.

The event has become a tradition at Christmas, providing anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one the chance to remember them.

It does not matter whether people have any connection to Rowans Hospice, or whether family, friends or relatives have been cared for there – the idea is that the evening becomes a shared moment of reflection.

Carol Milner, the hospice’s director of income generation said: ‘This is a beautiful and poignant in-memory service to honour and remember that special someone you have lost.

‘By making your dedication, you will be honouring the memory of your loved one, as well as supporting those people who are affected by a life limiting illness in Portsmouth and south-east Hampshire.’

Guests are invited to make a donation for a candle which will then be floated on Canoe Lake.

The Spinnaker Chorus will sing songs as guests arrive and depart, and a short service of remembrance will take place next to the lake at 5.45pm, which will include readings and carols by local community choirs and

accompanied by Portsmouth Royal British Legion Victory Band.

The end of the service will be marked by a fountain firework and a moment of quiet reflection.

Last year’s service was cancelled due to the tier system restricting people mixing, and the pandemic as a whole has hit the hospice's fundraising abilities hard, as it has done for many charities. It costs about £7.2m a year to operate the hospice, and about 90 per cent of this has to be raised by donations.

The Lake of Lights service is at Canoe Lake, Southsea on Sunday, December 19 from 5pm to 7pm.

Anyone who cannot attend but would like to donate and dedicate a candle in someone’s memory can do so at https://www.rowanshospice.co.uk/dedicate/

Light up a Life: https://events.rowanshospice.co.uk/events/lake/